The Other Universe
by takethetardis97
Summary: The Doctor, with Clara by his side, finds himself in the presence of a few familiar faces: one of which is his own. All they want to know is why the TARDIS chose to take them there.
1. Chapter 1

"Doctor, what's happening?" Clara inquired nervously as the TARDIS continued to rumble. The Doctor seemed shocking unfazed by the shaking and flashing lights, staring contemplatively into the empty space in front of him.

"I don't know," he commented staring blankly at the panels. The TARDIS jerked.

"Well, that's reassuring!" Clara blurted as she toppled over from the last jolt. The Doctor ignored her sarcastic comment, utterly confused about what was going wrong. She stumbled with wobbly legs around the main deck while the crazy man with the bow tie flipped as many switches as his long arms could reach. His frantic flipping proved futile, as the ship lurched and began to fall. Clara screamed and, even more troubling, the Doctor was silent. He stopped hitting buttons and calmly took a seat on the floor.

"What in God's name are you doing?" Clara shouted, gaping at the nonchalant man on the floor. The Doctor smiled slowly, all traces of worry dissipated from his eyes. He glanced up at his troubled friend, offering her a look of reassurance.

"Well, Clara," he laughed, "looks like all we can do is enjoy the fall."

Clara gulped, hesitantly crouching to take a seat across from the Doctor. She began to question whether precarious situations like this were worth the time she spent with the Doctor. Suddenly, as the TARDIS shook more violently than before, she lost consciousness.

"Something's not right."

The Doctor's voice echoed in her head as she awoke. The TARDIS was still, and its skinny pilot was pacing with his hand pressed to his forehead. Clara's eyes were heavy as she sat up. The Doctor seemed to forget she was there, silently fretting in front of her. Whenever the TARDIS transported him somewhere on its own accord, the Doctor stood at attention, trying to figure out what the ship was trying to tell him. Everything was eerily quiet, and Clara watched as the man slowly approached the doors. With a single press of his fingers against the wood, he opened the door to the spaceship.

"Doctor?" The feminine voice rang through the doorway and Clara perked up with curiosity.

From inside, Clara could see they had landed on the shore of a beach on a rather cloudy day. Standing near the water was a young blonde woman clutching the hand of a tall, thin guy sporting an out-of-place suit and the most amazing hairdo.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor stood in the TARDIS doorway, gaping at the couple in front of him.

Clara noticed the returned his shocked expression, although the two of them eyed both the Doctor and the TARDIS intently, as if scrupulously studying every detail. For a brief moment, the blonde was able to peel her eyes from the man, turning to her companion and tugging playfully at his suit jacket before turning back to the Doctor with a wide grin.

"I must say, I don't quite fancy the new outfit," she giggled. The Doctor looked affronted, while the woman's partner allowed pride and satisfaction to sweep over his demeanor. Clara rubbed her head, only just having stood up. She walked over to the man in the doorway, feeling like a fourth wheel as she interrupted what could only be a reunion of sorts.

"Doctor! Why don't you introduce me to your friends?" Clara suggested bluntly, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a playful shake. The Doctor was still staring silently at the others, barely reacting to her touch. The blonde chuckled, beaming at the pair in front of her.

"Is this your companion?" she chirped inquisitively, "She is adorable! Then again, you always had a thing for pretty girls." The man in the blue suit kissed her a that comment, and she groaned passionately. Clara, meanwhile, was groaning in frustration; she was never one for being left in the dark.

"Doctor?" She forced her scrawny guide to face her, hoping this would make him talk. Sure enough, glancing awkwardly between the two women, he replied.

"This is Rose Tyler," he said solemnly, gesturing towards the blonde, "and that," he referred to the handsome man, "...is me. Well, a duplicate of mine."

"Hey! Is that all I am: a bloody duplicate?" the man in the suit piped, offended at the Doctor's comment. Rose smiled, placing an arm around the Doctor's clone.

"Come on Doctor, don't get all defensive on me!" She was referring to the duplicate when she said this, kissing him and then turning back to the other two, "As for you two, how would you like to come inside for some grub? I'd love to catch up."

The Doctor said nothing, seemingly avoiding eye contact with Rose. Clara sighed, realizing she was going to have to speak for the both of them, and politely accepted the girl's invitation. Although there was something about Rose she didn't quite like, she nevertheless forced herself to trust her. Such a close friend of the Doctor's couldn't be bad.

They arrived at the Tyler's little house, which was a short walk from the shore. Rose and Clara exchanged pleasantries, the blonde woman doing most of the talking. Both Doctors remained rather quiet, occasionally catching each other's eyes and quickly pretending they were never looking. Clara wasn't sure how the whole "duplicate" situation worked, but Rose had called him Doctor, so she could only assume that he had all of the Doctor's memories up until the point he was duplicated. Clara smiled slyly; even in his old form the Doctor was quite the looker. Although, despite Rose's earlier comments about his wardrobe, she always had a thing for bow ties.

"Rose, honey!" a woman's voice sounded from around the corner, "Your father and Tony just went out. I was hoping you could help me tidy up before that boy comes back to tear this place up again." The middle-aged woman turned from the sink where she was doing dishes, quickly shutting her trap as she saw the group.

"Rose... who are they?" she asked, gazing at the Doctor and Clara.

"Not exactly a warm welcome, Mom," Rose laughed, approaching her mother slowly. "This is Clara, and that there is the Doctor."

"Wait, what?" the older blonde squealed, dropping her rag. She tripped back a bit, staring at the man with the bow tie.

"Hello, Jackie," the Doctor smiled weakly, waving slightly. Jackie Tyler gaped and then stepped cautiously towards him. When she was right in front of him, she put his face in her hands and began to babble.

"Look at you, looking so young!" she joked in he signature, high-pitched voice, "How long has it been? It's been nearly five years since we last saw you! Well the real you..."

"All right, I'm _right_ here!" the duplicate scoffed.

"You must tell us everything!" Jackie implored, ignoring her daughter's spouse, "Go on dear, I'm all ears! What sort of adventures are you getting yourself into? Love the new face, by the way." The Doctor looked uneasy, and Rose could sense it. She smiled weakly, pulling her mother away from him.

"Mom, the Doctor needs some rest," Rose insisted, "I don't know if you know this, but you can be a bit overwhelming." Jackie scoffed.

"Well aren't you just hilarious!" She replied sarcastically, "Just as well, anyway. I was going to go to the grocery market as soon as the dishes were clean." She picked up the hand towel, drying her hands as she walked towards the door. Grabbing her purse on the way out, Jackie left the other four in peace.

The all sat down and talked for the next hour as darkness slowly consumed the sky. Apparently, Rose's mention of rest was only a tactic to rid of her overbearing mother, and she asked the Doctor a plethora of questions. He was being uncharacteristically quiet, answering with few words and leaving Clara to elaborate. Rose picked up on this quickly.

"Is he normally this quiet, Clara?" she asked with a joking yet concerned smile, "It must be this new regeneration. I can't get this one to shut up!" She spiritedly shoved her Doctor, staring back at the other two.

"No he isn't," Clara replied, "What's the matter?" she gazed into her friend's eyes. She saw no signal back from him. Rose moved on.

"So Clara," she smiled awkwardly at the pair of them, "Are you two dating?" Clara snorted at this, missing the curious gleam in the blonde's wide eyes.

"Afraid not," she answered lightheartedly, smiling at the grimacing man beside her, "This one's married! I guess you didn't know that...?"

"Married?" Rose repeated, seeming suddenly hurt. She quickly buried her feelings, "That's great."

For the first time since they arrived, the Doctor spoke what he was thinking.

"Rose, I know it hasn't been long for you, but you don't understand," he began heatedly. Tears threatened to slip from Rose's eyes and Clara wasn't sure she knew what was going on, "You don't know how long it's been: how many horrible nights there were when I wished you could be with me. How much guilt. I was selfish; even leaving you with a man just like me made me jealous. But when you live as long as I do, you learn to move on-even if you'll never forget. It kills me that I have to do the same with River."

None of them had expected his outburst. Rose was dumbfounded, feeling incredibly guilty that she was jealous of his wife. The Doctor sighed as if in pain, and then continued.

"I still love you, Rose Tyler. I will always, no matter what face I have. But bringing me back here after the years I spent healing- well, fate's a cruel mistress."


	3. Chapter 3

Clara and the Doctor had remained in the parallel world for a few days at this point. Occasionally, the Doctor had entered his ship to try and operate the controls, but the TARDIS wouldn't budge. As soon as he had realized that his attempts to leave were futile, he took a lot of alone time, leaving Clara to talk with his previous love and his previous self. His companion didn't mind though; this way, she was able to finally get some answers to her questions.

"Clara, dear, can I get you a coffee or some tea?" Rose asked sweetly that morning, and Clara graciously accepted. The now reclusive Doctor had already upped and left on one of his frequent walks, and his duplicate was still asleep in bed. Clara sat at the cozy kitchen table, legs crossed and arms folded. When Rose handed her the warm mug of coffee, she accepted it with a smile, pondering what to ask her. Suddenly, a burning question sprung through her lips.

"Do we mean anything to him?"

Rose stopped. She looked up from her cup of tea with wide eyes, seeming both surprised by her question and understanding of it. She folded her hands, considering her words. She replied thoughtfully, as if the question were one she asked herself often. Clara knew it probably was.

"It is hard to understand," she began, her eyes focused on something arbitrary in the room, "I remember going along with that man for so long under the impression that I was his first and only. I don't know why I would think that; I just sort of assumed…." Clara sipped her coffee, but Rose still hadn't touched her cup since she put it down. "It wasn't until an old companion turned up, a woman named Sarah Jane, that it hit me. I was just the last in a long line."

"So we aren't that important to him, I suppose," Clara replied, staring down at the table forlornly. Rose gave Clara a concerned expression and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. At this, Clara met the other woman's eyes.

"But we are," she replied earnestly, "Like I said, it's hard to understand. You can't just pretend he's a normal man, he's so much more…" the blonde's eyes lit up, as if flashing back to her fondest memories. The light soon died and her eyes grew sad as she continued on softly.

"But the Doctor, in all his brilliance, is cursed. Cursed to outlive everyone he meets. Cursed to lose those he loves. Of course, he reacts to this by keeping most at a safe distance. But if he lets you close," she smiled at the other girl "Well that means you must be something special."

Clara felt the smile spread across her own face. She lifted her mug again, sipping slowly as loving thoughts of her Doctor floated through her head. The times that they laughed hysterically, or that they exchanged sarcastic banter, or when she would flirt with him and he'd be oblivious. She certainly missed all of that.

Soon, Clara heard a door creak from down the hall, and out stepped the Doctor; well, his duplicate. The man crept behind Rose and wrapped his arms adoringly around her, whispering 'good morning' in her ear. The blonde laughed, white teeth flashing in a smile that lit up the room. Clara saw then that he was capable of so much love.

Rose began to cook breakfast, with Clara and the second Doctor sitting at the table. Her Doctor still hadn't made it back, but Clara knew it was probably best to give him some time. Meanwhile, she enjoyed talking with his past incarnation: a man equally as energetic and silly as the Doctor she knew. The two compared notes of the types of foes they had encountered in their travels.

"Weeping Angels?" he asked, and Clara shook her head confusedly, "Well you're lucky, Clara Oswald. Nasty creatures, they are. I've had a couple of run-ins with that lot." Clara smiled, knowing that anything she had seen, the man in front of her had seen more. Or at least he remembered seeing those things, as he technically wasn't there for any of it.

Soon, Rose finished making breakfast, placing bacon, sausages, biscuits and other foods on the table. The three of them dug in, exchanging stories of adventures that they had gone on. The Doctor seemed to have the best stories, which made sense when he had nine hundred years' worth of memories. Still, Rose mocked him while he talked, as if she had heard the stories a million times. They were a typical married couple.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and the actual Doctor ran in, sweating and out of breath. Clara was going to ask him how his walk went, but she stopped herself at the sight of the terror in his eyes. The three involuntarily stood from the table, plagued with worry. The Doctor caught his breath long enough to utter a few words.

"We have a problem."


End file.
